August 23, 2009

Team V4th

We very much enjoyed having a work team here in July!  The weather was unusually cool and windy most of the time with occasional light rain. God graciously provided some high overcast and steady winds to help our guests manage the heat and humidity.   

 

Fix it! Build it!

The team fixed solar panels and generators, painted carts and containers, built storage shelves, repaired facia, gutters, rafters and roofing.  We managed to work in an hour of snorkeling the beautiful reefs nearby and a few short trips to “town” to pick up supplies.   

 

Mengen House

Dave Imparting Vision

 

Entertaining Youngsters

We took the work team in to the Mengen tribe for a weekend of work and fellowship. Diana went in with the first load of passengers and I went back to wait for the remainder to arrive from their international flights. Flight delays and an afternoon of foul weather prevented us from reaching the destination with the second load but we were able to fly in the next morning. The skills of all were put to use to assist the missionary team. 

Faith in Common

 

More Building!

Building Faith!

Meanwhile one of my teeth decided to declare war.  Where is the nearest dentist?  The NTM dentist was out of the country and not due to return for another week. What are my options?  The capital city?  Australia?  USA?  None of them looked like good options.  Let’s call a pilot to get us out the jungle.  Oh, that right! I AM the pilot!  Now what?  Prayer and Ibuprofen!  The pain went away before the next flights, returning us all to “civilization”, so operations were resumed as normal.   

Final Construction

The big finale of the last two days working on the hangar resulted in much new paint, working lights in the hangar, batteries charging from solar panels and operating 12 volt lights, and a more organized work shop.  

Paint it!

The big winds which were appreciated by the workers were not as much appreciated by a few of our passengers who were tossed around a bit in our little aircraft particularly during takeoff and landing.  We had a few “exciting” flights.  As most passengers will tell you, “exciting” is not a desirable trait in air transport. We postponed one flight until dawn the next morning in hopes of a more pleasant experience for all. (The wind is often calm near the surface early in the morning.)  

 

Improved Hangar!

After the work team departed for the USA I had a day to catch up on some neglected paperwork and begin studying for the Instrument Competency check ride on Monday. My Saturday flight to the Highlands was preempted by an emergency appendectomy; requiring the aircraft to take the patient, doctor and nurse to Australia where surgery was performed.  Another mission organization assisted by covering the flights on Sunday, but the aircraft was dripping oil where it should not when it arrived here so that required about four hours working in the scorching sun making repairs.  (All was safely repaired and the flight to the Highlands was without incident.)    Since the next day was our seventh wedding anniversary Diana was hoping I wouldn’t have to go away at all. But a full week of aviation business had been scheduled for us.  

Monday morning I had a few hours to review rules and regulations and practice an instrument approach on the simulator while my examiner conducted a flight that had been postponed several days due to bad weather.  The exam involved some oral questions, some instrument flight time in the aircraft, a bit more in the simulator and a multiple choice computerized written exam. We finished the paperwork about the time the rest of the aviation team started closing up the shop for the day.  

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent in reviewing Dangerous Goods Regulations.  In the class we learn to recognize, identify, classify, package, label, accept or reject, document and ship items that are internationally recognized as dangerous for transport on aircraft. How much bleach can we put on the aircraft with passengers?  Can we put these two large solar system batteries on the same flight as the family that owns them?  What about the battery acid?  They need diesel for their generator.  Can we send that with them?  Do we have the approved packaging materials?  What are the approved alternative methods of packing? We worked through the questions and answers and I successfully passed the test.  Now I won’t have to do the training again for two more years.   

The dentist arrived back in the country shortly before my arrival in the Highlands and was willing to help prevent future tooth warfare.  We scheduled an appointment on Friday. A quick assessment verified I needed a root canal so the dentist and his spouse started right in and finished an hour later. We very much appreciate the people God brings our way to assist us in the work here.  This dentist and his wife had spent fifteen years in Africa as missionaries.  Unfortunately, with their hands in my mouth I was unable to ask my many questions about who, what, where, when and why.  It was very convenient to have the dental work completed at the same time as the required training.  This greatly reduced our costs.  The pain relief is priceless!

July 5, 2009

Monday I spent the day planning, answering questions, working on loose ends and studying; it seems that some of my biennial and bi-annual reading is coming due about the same time and I have an instrument check ride for which to study. 

Morning Weather Usually Best

Tuesday was a normally abnormal flying day.  Somehow I missed putting the cover over the pitot tube, so an itsy-bitsy spider decided the hole was a wonderful home.  It took about half an hour to remove the spider and the remnants of his mud home out of the pitot tube. Meanwhile my co-worker / supply buyer loaded the airplane with all of the supplies for my destination. 

I finished my preflight checks and started the aircraft.  I was expecting passengers to return with me on each of the two flights. Nearing completion of my checklists I called Diana and advised her that I was taxiing the aircraft for departure to my destination.  She responded that there had been an accident on a four wheeler near the tribal location and that some of my passengers at my destination had gone to assist the injured.  Also, she said I should expect to transport the injured for medical care.

Ok!  Now what?  A bunch of logistical questions came to mind.  The truck that had delivered the first load of passengers to my destination was back-tracking down the old jungle logging roads. Do I unload the cargo here and go to the destination empty?  Do I go to the destination as is and hope the intended passengers have planned an alternate way to handle the cargo?  We can’t just leave the cargo at the airstrip unsecured.  What is the extent of injury?  Are the injuries life-threatening?  Is medical transportation time critical?  What is the extent of blood loss?  What care have they received?  These were all things that might affect my next course of action.

Communications were next to impossible; which means we know someone was saying something but could not hear enough of a sentence to understand or they could not hear us at all.  I decided to go to the destination immediately to avoid further delay and make inquiries along the way.  Usually reception improves as the morning progresses and as the aircraft moves closer to the other parties. 

The weather was good with indications that the high humidity would soon build into thunderstorms and rain showers, especially over the many mountain peaks. 

En-route communications improved enough to determine that the injured had broken legs.  The injured would not be able to arrive at the airstrip in time for the first flight. The injuries were serious but not immediately life threatening, so I should not wait on the ground at the destination but return for the second load of passengers and the injured as soon as possible.

Upon arrival at the destination parking bay I was greeted by an aggressive dog which mistook the aircraft for a car to chase.  I immediately cut the fuel to the engine. The dog would not have survived if he had continued his charge. Propellers don’t stop immediately and, if they do, it usually means three months waiting for a new engine and propeller to arrive; provided the thirty to forty thousand dollars is available for replacing or repairing them.  Hitting a dog with the propeller is considered a sudden stop, so it was definitely something to avoid. The prop stopped turning. With the aircraft sitting on the runway, I set the parking brake, unfastened my seatbelt and proceeded to find several business size rocks to encourage the dog along, but by then the dog had lost interest and was chasing something else far away.  I got back into the aircraft and started the engine to continue movement toward the parking bay. 

My first load of passengers at the destination advised me that they had just arrived after their long drive over rough logging roads when they heard about the emergency. Their driver immediately returned whence he came to assist the injured.  They knew little more due to the poor radio reception.  We loaded up the cargo and passengers, gave the safety briefing – together because several of my passengers thought they might have my briefing memorized – the departed to “civilization.”  I only counted two pigs and a dog as we taxied out onto the runway.  The flight to “civilization” and back was routine except for the communication about the outboard motor.  No, don’t send the motor. They want no cargo!  There is no truck for transporting it to the tribe. … Yes, they want the outboard motor! The truck with the injured can transport the motor.  … In the end we took the outboard motor.

Bush Ambulance and Truck

The injured were waiting in the pickup truck when I arrived the second time. These were Bible teachers who were en-route to teach in another village when they lost control of the four wheeler.  We unloaded the cargo while discussing how to fit five passengers in the aircraft when two had broken legs. Often we have a separate medical flight so that the injured may lie down.  These guys had spent two hours in a truck getting to the airport and could sit up.  We worked out a scenario which was reasonable and safe. The next discussion had to do with how to load the injured into the aircraft.  After moving the seats around and removing a door we seated the injured and supported the splints, then loaded the remaining passengers and made sure everyone was adequately secured and briefed.

Careful ... Careful!

We requested an ambulance to meet us at the airport, but by then it was lunch time and one cannot expect to reach emergency services for an hour or more after noon.  The request did finally go through to the appropriate office but the ambulance never did arrive.  We found alternate means of transportation for the injured. 

 

Alternate Ambulance

Please pray for these Kaulong Bible teachers as they recover from their injuries and for their families while they are away from home.  Pray for the villages where these men were teaching God’s word.  Pray for wisdom for the missionaries involved.

Beautiful Feet Which Bring Good News

Later in the week I was able to go to town to get the vehicle inspected for license, registration and insurance renewal.  I used the opportunity to purchase some materials for the work team to use on the hangar projects coming up this month and to buy some parts to repair the vehicle.  I was able to acquire almost half of my shopping list. 

Busy Day in Town

Today we had the privilege of leading our fellow missionaries in worship, scripture, singing and communion.  Diana played the piano keyboard to keep us on the right notes.  It is a privilege to serve with these people of heavenly vision and purpose!

Next week we will have several flights in coordination with helicopter shuttles.  Perhaps those flights will be so routine as to preclude blogging.

June 27, 2009

Highlands - Helicopter gets new tail boom

Life in PNG is getting back to “normal” now. 

The weather was beautiful for the flights returning the Akolet missionary team to their tribal homes.  These two young families had flown to Hoskins to participate in three events all happening in June: our annual Islands missionary retreat, a team translation workshop with two men from the Akolet tribe, and to have a language acquisition evaluation with more experienced fellow missionaries.  They were encouraged with their progress and eagerly look forward to the day when they will be able to teach God’s word clearly in the Akolet language.   May the Lord strengthen them as they seek to bring the message of salvation to the Akolet!

After landing in the Akolet tribe some people from the local clinic came running up to the aircraft.   An expectant mother was in distress due to a breach baby and the clinic did not have the personnel or equipment to meet her needs.  While I loaded the passengers, Diana tried to communicate with the hospital that we’d need an ambulance.  She is such a big help to me while I am flying.  Communication that we take for granted in the USA can be difficult in PNG.  All land lines and cell phones were not working.  Diana radioed to our aviation base in the Highlands, 300 miles away, and requested they call our nearest hospital to send an ambulance to meet Randy when he landed.   Thankfully the Goroka phones were working.  They successfully called our local hospital.   The ambulance arrived about fifteen minutes after we landed back at the main airport and transported the expectant mother to the local hospital.

There were five flights into the Mengen tribe this week. A work team of Canadian college students had gone to Mengen to assist our missionary co-workers there with desperately needed construction.  Now they were returning to “civilization” – the Islands regional support base, which initially seemed so primitive.  How grateful we are for the labor of this and other volunteer teams who accomplish so many needed projects for the team of career missionaries serving in PNG.  

The Mengen missionary team also flew to “civilization” for a much needed break from tribal living. The flights went well with only minor incidents.  Three flight instruments failed, but thankfully they were not essential for visual flight.   A baseball-sized spider exited the air vent shortly after takeoff and landed on my hand. It’s a good thing there were no passengers as I’m sure the aircraft made some unusual moves as my hands and feet made several semi-voluntary convulsive moves and my training screamed in my brain “Aviate! Fly the airplane!  Aviate!”  My skin sustained no injury but I must say the spider didn’t make it to 500 feet above ground level. 

 Diana and I are rejoicing that several large gifts were given enabling us to pay the remainder of Diana’s dental expenses!  We have several not so large medical bills coming due in the weeks ahead and the remainder of our moving expenses from 2007 yet outstanding, but there are indications that God is moving to resolve those burdens as well.

The anticipated work team for repairing the hangar will be coming in a little over two weeks.  Although we had initially talked about a large work team coming this year, we can see now that we would not have been able to adequately prepare for a large team.  The hangar the work team includes two men and a woman for two weeks. There will also be two men who will be visiting for six days and flying with me around the country to get a glimpse of missionary aviation.  The skills and effort of these people will be much appreciated!  We had several more experienced and willing workers but they did not have the funds to buy tickets for this year.  This parallels the recent message we heard about Gideon. He had 32,000 men to fight a Midianite army of 135,000.  God told him he had too many men. Gideon sent home 22,000 men who were timid or afraid.  God told him again that he had too many men, so 9,700 men were sent home, leaving only 300 men to fight against 135,000 Midianites.  God gave them the victory.  So, since this is God’s work, we are eager to see how God will use these few men to accomplish the work this year!

The Lord willing, we will have two, or more, larger work teams next year to finish the work in and around the hangar.   We will need someone with construction experience to come a month in advance to prepare for the work teams, organize and lead the labor. Please pray with us about these needs.

We are so appreciative of you who pray and encourage and support us as we work toward bringing Papua New Guinea people to faith and maturity in Christ!

Highlands - Our Cessna 206 aircraft get rebuilt about every 7-10 years

Here are stories from some of the missionaries Randy transported in the aircraft these past few weeks.
Tobo: http://www.ntm.org/news/9731
Mengen: http://www.ntm.org/news/9699
http://www.ntm.org/news/9707
Akolet: http://www.ntm.org/news/9686